Can Global Warming lead to the end of the world? Explain.?

Question

The increase of the atmospheric CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) concentration has been increasing since the 19th century. Glaciers / Ice are melting, polar bears are about to face extinction, the world is heating up, and nobody cares (people are still polluting); if the world doesn't do anything about this, cities are going to be flooded, and there will be less land. Does this mean the world will end? Or not? Tell me what you know. Be specific! BUT, no simple answers. Simple answers will not be rated best answer.

Answer 1

NO NO NO NO! It does not excist all the democrats and liberals are qrong

Answer 2

The world, as in the earth, will be fine it's been here for 4.5 billion years and gone through volcanic eruptions, ice ages, and meteor strikes.  We are like a case of fleas to the earth.

Answer 3

I'd tell you if I knew..but i don't know

Answer 4

Yes and No it could lead to the end of the world....... As we advance further into the coming years we are increasing the air temperature, some signs of this are in Bangladesh, over 50-55% of Bangaladesh is under water and the monsoon rains are no making it any better; estimates predict that in 20-40 years Bangladesh may be besieged by water, this cycle may be reapeated to many other countries in the years to come as the sea level is increasing rapidly as the earth is heating up. So yes Global Warming may result in the end of the world, but yet so far there are not many major signs of the world coming to an end!

Answer 5

I wonder how many people are aware of the fact that one really big volcanic eruption releases more ozone depleting gasses than all of the history of mankind? Believe me or not. And if the ice caps melt, and the world floods, some will live and some will die. The world will go on, different than before, but it is arrogant to figure the world cares about humans. If all the humans were gone, the world would heal from whatever, and go on.

Answer 6

Combating global warming is one of the most important tasks for this generation.  The human race is currently at the point of no return in this battle.  What is done over the next 20 years to help win this fight will be felt for thousands of years to come.  The community of people trying to take care of this problem is growing every day.  Engineers, politicians, and ordinary people are banding together to create a better future.  This community is millions strong, and together it can make a difference.

Global warming is caused by the release of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, halocarbons, and sulfur oxides into the atmosphere.  This creates what is called the greenhouse effect.  It is basically a blanket effect around the planet, preventing it from releasing heat into space.  Heat from the sun comes into our atmosphere.  A certain percentage of that heat is reflected back into outer space.  The greenhouse effect causes a larger portion of that heat to remain in our atmosphere.

These gasses are released by the burning of fossil fuels.  These fuels, however, can be burned a number of different ways.  They are burned in automobiles, in power plants, in factories, in mills, and hundreds of other ways. As a result, community members are forced to combat global warming a variety of ways.

If global warming is left unchecked, by the end of the century devastating results can be expected:

• More than 1 million species around the world could become extinct according to National Geographic.

• The Seattle PI reports that a 7-23 inch rise in sea level (with parts of the Puget Sound rising as much as 4 ft) can be expected due to the melting of the polar ice caps. (Stiffler)

• National Geographic also reports that this could result in the disruption of the transatlantic current resulting in an ice age.

• More winter flooding

• Worldwide food shortages

• More destructive wildfires

Global warming cannot be stopped without crippling the economy and drastically altering people’s way of living. Some say it is a hopeless struggle.  However, with a diverse communal effort, it can be significantly slowed it down.

In 1997, transportation accounted for over one-fourth of all global warming emissions as reported by The Marian Koshland Science Museum of the Nation Academy of Sciences. This is one area that many community members can get involved in.  Carpooling and bicycling to work are two ways this can be done.  Seattle mayor, Greg Nickels, has a goal of making his city the nations best for bicycling.  New bicycle lanes are being built every day.  With rising fuel costs, more people are cycling to work.

Carpooling is another easy way to reduce emissions.  Carpool matching programs are becoming much more predominant in today’s society.  Carpool Match NW and Carpool Connection are only a couple of companies that are prospering in this fast growing business.

Car sharing services like Zipcar and Flexcar are also becoming more popular.  With these companies, community members don’t even need to own a car.  For an hourly rate members can drive a car only when they want to.  This frees members to take mass transit (more eco friendly) to work everyday while still being able to take longer road trips.

Another way to reduce car emissions is to buy a more fuel efficient car.  The United States has long been known for its herds of giant SUVs roaming the freeways.  Future American freeways will be lined with electric cars and Hybrids.  In recent years Hybrid sales have soared.  The Seattle PI reports that 181 thousand new Toyota Prius Hybrids were sold in 2007 alone. (Thomas)

The Port of Seattle has found another way to reduce emissions.  Until recently, all 166 Crown-Victoria cabs were operated on compressed natural gas.  As a result, they produce 149 fewer tons of carbon monoxide and 24 fewer tons of nitrous oxides each year than they would with gasoline. (Port of Seattle)

Sea-Tac Airport has just entered into a pilot program with STITA (Seattle-Tacoma International Taxicab Association).  The plan is to buy 25 small eclectic-gas hybrids to replace its six to seven year old compressed natural gas vehicles.

The Marian Koshland Science Museum of the Nation Academy of Sciences reports that industry was responsible for 35% of all greenhouse gasses in 1997.  As a result, 610 million metric tons of carbon monoxide was released that year alone.  Most of these emissions came from coal fired power plants.  This is another area that community members are using technology to combat global warming.

Nuclear power is the future of power production in this country.  Zero greenhouse gasses are produced in a nuclear power plant.  Problems do, however, remain regarding the storage of nuclear waste.  The current administration in the US has established Yucca Mountain, Nevada as the future home of Nuclear waste.  They are currently boring tunnels into the side of the mountain to store the waste.  Wikipedia reports that Yucca Mountain is planned to open March 31, 2017.  This is very promising.

Many politicians have joined the community to endorse Nuclear power as a key component to slowing global warming. Senator Barack Obama, the Illinois senator running for president, has publicly cited increased contributions from nuclear power as part of his plan for fighting global warming. President Bush goes even further. "If you're truly serious about dealing with greenhouse gases, then it seems like to me you ought to be a strong supporter of nuclear power," Bush said. "I am amazed that our country isn't more robust in supporting the advent of nuclear power. I certainly am, and applaud those efforts by members of the Congress to provide incentives for the construction of new plants," Bush said at his recent year-end news conference.

Community members have come together to produce another solution to the climate crisis, hydrokinetic power.  Hydrokinetic power utilizes the flow of tides, waves, and even rivers to produce electricity.  The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that waves off the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts could produce from 250 to 500 terawatt-hours per year. (Paulson)

The first wave power program in the US has been approved for a pilot project in Makah Bay, a remote section of the Pacific Ocean just off the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.

Solar power is yet another part of the solution.  The Renewable Energy Project reports that utilities in all four Northwestern states now offer net metering programs.  These programs make it easy for customers to install solar electric systems at their homes or businesses. In a net metering program, customers feed extra power generated by their solar equipment during the day into the utility’s electrical grid for distribution to other customers. Then, at night or other times when the customer needs more power than their system generates, the building draws power back from the utility grid.  The customer is then billed only for the net power consumed.  This allows community members to install solar panels without the need for expensive storage batteries.  Also, less power is wasted during peak production hours.  

With the knowledge, experience, and resolve of community members, global warming can be slowed significantly.  This battle is critical in preserving a better future for the children of tomorrow.  Without these efforts by committed community members, nothing short of Armageddon can be expected.

Answer 7

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The world has been a lot warmer

95% of the Cenozoic (age of mammals)epoch has been 5 to 10 degrees warmer.

right now we are in the interglacial period of a ice age.

it would not cause "the end of the world" if the temperatures

rose to the average for the cenozoic

it would not even be "the end of the world" if the temperatures rose to the high end of the cenozoic.

as the temperatures rose the sea would evorate faster causing more cloud cover and this would cause global dimming.

also cloud cover would cause it to be cooler during the day and warmer at night.

no where does any scientist have any proof that global warming will cause THE END OF THE WORLD.

That is total bulls**t

Answer 8

Unless you mean the global warming that will occur when the Sun expands to swallow the Earth, No.

Answer 9

Maybe the start but I think a pole shift is more likely say 2012. Which the Mayan calender, book of Revelations, Chinese book of change all pick 2012. But I am not saying that Global Warming will not cause the shift.

Answer 10

I think you need to watch the National Geographic Channel on sunday night, there's going to be a program on it explaining called "6 degrees,can end the world" something like that, sunday night at 8..watch it

Answer 11

Global warming is an issue that will make you wish that the world would end but I do not think that it will end it.  We need to be more worried about the way that people treat each other both as  individuals and as countries!

Answer 12

The world does not end so easily,only species do.

One time the Atmosphere was 60 carbon monoxide,and nothing was walking around

There was not much life around  when most of the world was frozen or when it was mostly desert.

But this world keeps on spinning.

Now  again climatic events on our doorstep, are big enough to affect all that walks the earth.

Global Warming is true, there are Natural fazes but we are affecting that to a great extent ,with deforestation ,desertification and pollution., especially air pollution.

A few weeks ago one of NASA's top scientists concluded that the Arctic Ocean could be nearly ice-free within five years, much faster than all previous predictions.

when the north pole is gone , you may have polar bears soon in America ,looking for a home ,

Calculations do not include the accumulative ,speeding up ,factor with time. the increase in water temperature will get faster all the time as well as the melting,

When the ice is all gone the deeper cold Ocean currents will lessen drastically ,and the drag with it , changing the higher warm currents,

Stagnant situations will develop.

This will affect coastal climates ,world wide ,almost instantly. All aquatic flora and fauna will be affected,many dying off and others becoming invasive,

And recently In Chiapas ,and Tabasco in Mexico .more then a million people became homeless overnight with water coming up to their roofs ,because of rains from super evaporation from the forests,this had never happened before. Millions of animals died.

In India 3000 people died because of super storms .

.A few years ago in Europe 3500 people,died during a heat wave ,many of them in France .

Right now the average death toll annually is 150.000 due to Global warming

. these figures are already out of date and are expected to double soon.

In Northern China millions of people are running for their lives because regular dust storms so far have buried 900 villages under the sand and the whole of northern China is turning into a dessert.

The Sahara is growing by 7 kilometers a year all around the edges ,like a slow burning fire shriveling up their neighbors In the Kalahari huge rivers have dried up and thousand of species are gone due to their habitats disappearing .

The biggest changes are invisible at micro biotic levels species are becoming extinct ,others are multiplying ,

This affects the insect populations that follow ,and changes in that ,affect all that follows in the food chains ,

All life is interrelated of both flora and fauna, And since we are on the top of the food chain ,

we are always the last to know.

So Global warming has its toll there are incidents all over the world ,

However

confusion rules the day ,i am beginning to think that SCIENCE HAS BEEN INVADED WITH POLITICS AND HUMAN EMOTIONS

The truth is being distorted at high levels,

And lies have been weaved in.

Some of the real dangers are being hidden because there are no solutions , Public could panic.and Authorities would loose control .

Besides Corporations have other priorities ,expensive changes will affect profits ,this also affects the truths being published

Others facts are exaggerated so that the phenomena can be used to milk the people.

This is further complicated with Arrogance that will not admit that mankind could be guilty, or that Gods could be out of control ,unloving or incompetent

But I do not think we can make a real difference anymore to change the tide.

On a Global scale,Humanity is not co operative enough .

The poor regions have other priorities such as daily survival.

But there is a LOT that we can do,about being more responsible and economic with our natural resources ,Or be more sympathetic towards Nature, After all out lives depend on that.

How ever

In the first world countries too many do not care or rely on the Gods to take care of everything.

Some or are more interested in Global Control than Global Warming.

So I guess we will have to take what is coming.

The question is too big to go into Specifics and you will have to be content with this simple minded version.

Answer 13

Yes the earth is getting hotter, but so is the rest of the planets. Not something the belivers of man made climate shange will share with you. It is cyclical, data far back as 900ad. hottest year to date was 1300 ad england recorded, where were the suv then? no jets. no fossil fuel burning. So it kinda trumps the argument that it is because of the use of fossil fuels. If you take the fact that our natural air scrubbers convert carbon gases in to oxygen gases and look at the data about the amount of green plants and trees in on the planet you can decern the truth as close as it can be understood. Also remeber every anomilis large space body that passes our planet adjust our orbit slightly. That can make a big change as well in our tempratures over long peiods of time. To many variablies to get a acurate reason but if the shoe fits, I undersand the largest contribution to our climate change is the mass and tempreature of the sun. It is a cyclical anomaly as well, gets hotter then cooler as its core reacts with its internal enviroment. by the way mathmatics says we wont survive for ever so why delay the inevitable?